Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth joined 12 fellow Democratic Senators yesterday in re-introducing legislation to expand voter registration and civic engagement initiatives.
Duckworth re-filed the Pre-Registration of Voters Everywhere Act, known as the PROVE Act, that would allow for U.S. Citizens aged 16 and 17 to pre-register to be added to voter rolls when they turn 18. Additionally, the PROVE Act also provides $25 million in grants, over two years, for states to distribute to schools and localities to develop curriculum aiming to encourage civic engagement.
More than 20 states including Illinois already allow 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register to vote prior to turning 18. Duckworth’s legislation would make it uniform across the country. Duckworth previously re-introduced the PROVE Act in 2019 but saw no traction on the bill in Congress’ senior chamber.